Friday, April 19, 2013

What's in a Blog Title?

As a mother, I knew that I was the conductor of beauty, light, color and creativity in our home.
Reflecting the shadows of His love in the ways we lived, the rhythms we
kept. This task became a challenge to me and a source of joy in my own
life. I sought every day to make our home a place that was a
small reflection of the Garden that He had originally crafted for His
own first children, Adam and Eve. God put such beauty, design,
variety in the place he prepared for his own children and He became for
me a model of what I wanted to recreate in my home.
Artistry of life is one of the most winsome ways a mom can display in
each moment so that children’s hearts will be softened to the heart of
God and the messages of God, as they sense His reality in their own
home.
Sally Clarkson, in this blog post

This. This is so hard. But so worth every effort.

Every time I take the extra effort to make a homemade, nutritious treat when I really feel like getting a fried chicken wrap and mashed potatoes for takeout.
Every time I light a candle for our nightly reading time together as a family.
Every time I have a tea party with my son (his, heavy on the milk---mine, no cream or sugar.)
Every time I sit and read the same six poems over and over again.
Every time I make up stories about "Once upon a time there were two charming and neighborly brothers who were traveling along a dusty path...What were their names?"
Every time I relinquish attachment to the earthly possessions that don't matter and free our home of clutter (both visual and emotional.)
Each time I clean the spots that will be dirty two seconds later.
Every time I try to teach Million to paint or draw.
Each time I teach a new song to him or explain the colors in the sunset or the shades of the grass in our yard (now, again, covered with snow...)

I aspire to be a small reflection of God's creativity.

I don't know if I ever explained the title of this blog.
It's loosely based on a Francis Schaeffer quote from his book Art and the Bible.

"The arts and sciences do have a place in the Christian life – they
are not peripheral. For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ
and living within the norms of Scripture and under that leadership of
the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in
the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God, not
just as tracts, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An art
work can be a doxology in itself."

Michael and my interests have always woven art and science into our everyday life. It's been our earnest desire to have our interest and passion for arts and sciences to be praise of God and to God.